The Yassmin Abdel-Magied Anzac day scandal has inspired a Huffington Post blogger (Masrur-Ul Islam Joarder) to write a rather nonsensical article. I felt compelled to write a rebuttal. The article’s contends that freedom of speech is a white man’s privilege and Islam advocates for peace. Please find their article here

Magied posted a Facebook statement on Anzac Day that caused a vicious national debate. See below.

Many Australians who advocate freedom of speech called for her silence. They wanted her fired. This revealed a blatant but common hypocrisy on both sides of the spectrum. Freedom of speech is granted only when it’s agreeable. The vile abuse, harassment, and threats made against Magied were unacceptable. She has every right to freedom of speech and expression.

However, the left have made her out to be a Martyr and she is not. Her Anzac Day post mentioned vital and important causes that need focus and attention. Leaving out war veterans was no accident or innocent omission. She has worked in Federal Anzac youth groups. Magied is aware of how important that day is for Australians. She was being deliberately provocative in order to get a reaction.

My beef with her started on her qna appearance. She made certain statements that revealed her to be a Sharia Law advocate and an Islamic apologist. Click here for my article on this matter. It goes into greater detail.

The contention that freedom of speech is white man’s privilege only is drivel spurned on by identity politics. Racism and bigotry does exist and it is a problem. There are idiots who have an issue with an outspoken black person or woman and want them silenced. But that is not the entire spectrum. White man’s privilege is an easy way out of the discussion.

It’s not a white man’s privilege in Australia or anywhere else in the West. There will always be a collective that opposes an individual’s opinion. You will always find a group of people that want to stifle and regulate someone’s freedom of speech. All individuals will find that their opinion is not welcome depending on the audience.

Aboriginal freedom of speech faces a great deal of objection and backlash in Australia from white men and non white men. They also receive a great deal of support from white men and not men. You can’t argue that non white men are completely excluded or silenced. Nor can you argue that white man’s privilege has exclusivity on freedom of speech. They face the same potential objections, exclusions and regulation.

White man ideology is all over the place these days. There is not one major spearhead ideology. Joarder says that Magied and Waleed Aly do not fit the narrative. Their ideologies are generally supported and promoted by the majority of Western governments and mainstream media.

There are many non white males who are incredibly outspoken. They may be divisive but they receive a lot of support and acclaim. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Salman Rushdie, Maajid Nawaz, and Germaine Greer are not white men. That’s just a small example of many.

Greer has been banned from speaking at Cardiff. Ali, Nawaz, and Rushdie have fatwas on them. They also face constant death threats, harassment, and online abuse. It’s interesting to note that the majority of their major critics are not white straight men.

It was not white straight men who marked Ali, Nawaz, or Rushdie for death. How many white men have supported the fatwas? Barely any. Linda Sarsour called for the silence of Ali. She suggested that Ali should have her vagina taken away.

Donald Trump is the epitome of a white man. He is consistently attacked for everything that he expresses. The public tears him to shreds. He faces a lot of abuse and hate speech. Former SBS commentator Scott McIntyre faced a huge backlash for comments made against ANZAC day. He’s a white male.

Huff Post would like you to believe that any objection to Yassmin is due to racism, misogyny, and anti Islamic bigotry. It’s part of it but not the full circle.

Thoughtful and intelligent people do not have an issue with Yassmin Abdel-Magied for being brown, a Muslim, a woman, or for even criticizing Australia. The issue is that she never applies an ounce of scrutiny to Islam and its facets.

Joarder’s bias towards Islam is jaw dropping. “Abdel-Magied threatens every conservative Australian who may have reservations about Islam and Muslims because she is willing to engage in discussion and reveal the truth: that Islam advocates for peace and the majority of Muslims want exactly that”

The majority of Muslims are peaceful people. But Islam does NOT advocate peace. Examine the doctrines and the words of the Prophet. Sharia Law stems from the above. Cultural practises are influenced by Sharia. There is violence all over the doctrines and words of Mohammed. The writer is ignoring reality and revelling in victim hood fetish.

Magied is only willing to engage in discussion that suits her agenda. She is not willing to engage in well rounded discussion on Islam. When faced with critical thought regarding Islam she lies, truth dilutes, evades and tells half truth. She is no champion for feminism nor human rights advocacy. You can’t be an Islamic apologist and Sharia Law advocate and claim to be a feminist and human rights advocate.

The writer also suggests that non Muslims don’t have a right to criticize Islam and its facets. Therefore, one must be part of the circle in order to criticize. That’s interesting. I’ve seen non Catholic Huff Post writers criticize Christianity. Non Israeli writers have criticized the state of Israel. Homosexual writers have criticized mainstream heterosexuality. No one complains about that….

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Old Simo was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. He received his education from both RMIT University and Monash University. His studies consisted of Industrial law at RMIT, and marketing and communications at Monash. His tastes and interests are broad covering film, music, literature, arts, politics, economics, social issue, travel, and fitness and well-being. Old Simo has spent a great deal of time travelling not only throughout Australia but extensively throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has worked in various fields including arts and entertainment, retail marketing in the fast moving consumer goods sector, and has run a successful boutique menswear fashion label.